#MIDEM 2011: Like It Or Not, It's A D.I.Y. World

It was a busy Sunday at MIDEM. Making contacts and doing deals on the trade show floor was the focus for many. Others went looking for answers and presenters in an overcrowded Midem Academy and MidemNet Lab did their best to provide answers. From Berklee's Dave Kusek to the newest startups, the tools, tips and tricks that are shaping modern music marketing were on full display. But given the industry's shrinking resources, what is actually working?

The answer most often heard is that authentic integrated social media leads to fan engagement and sales. But Kusek suggested that a broader question needs to be asked: "How do we use technology to entertain people?": But even if entertained, will they buy?

One major label digital executive, while believing that the industry will eventually "crack the code", told me that his own stats show that turning fans into paying costumers is far more difficult than some purveyors of the latest music tech tools would have us believe.

What is actually working? The answers vary by artist and depend on who you ask. The net result is an entire industry - from the smallest players to the largest - stuck in what is effectively their own d.i.y. world.

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#MIDEM 2011: Like It Or Not, It's A D.I.Y. World

It was a busy Sunday at MIDEM. Making contacts and doing deals on the trade show floor was the focus for many. Others went looking for answers and presenters in an overcrowded Midem Academy and MidemNet Lab did their best to provide answers. From Berklee's Dave Kusek to the newest startups, the tools, tips and tricks that are shaping modern music marketing were on full display. But given the industry's shrinking resources, what is actually working?